I love music, and I’m always—constantly—looking for new stuff to listen to.
Pretty much my favorite activity in life is to sit down in a dark room, pour myself a drink, put on some headphones, and listen to new music in search of gems I haven’t heard before. This is something I’ve been doing quite consistently since my early teens. (Well, the drinks may have come a little bit later.)
In any case, here are a few recent “fruits of my labor.”
These findings are from the past year or so. I’ve listed each song, in no particular order, with its musical genre and year of release. Feel free to grab a drink and listen along if you’d like.
Young Gun Silver Fox
“Lenny”
2018 | YACHT ROCK
I discovered these guys a while ago when I came across a collaboration they’d done with the amazing Rod Temperton. (On a side note, I would list Rod Temperton’s Heatwave among my favorite bands of all time.) They’ve released four albums so far, and each one consists of this sort of very friendly, sunny-sounding yacht rock. Awesome stuff.
By the way, I learned from an interview of theirs that the band name Young Gun Silver Fox is derived from its two members. One of them is a young gun, while the other is a silver fox.
Pretty academic stuff, I know. Really makes you think.
KAN
“Kimi Kara Me ga Hanasenai”
1989 | POP
While I’ve liked KAN for a long time now, there were some tracks especially among his earlier albums that I had for some reason kind of failed to notice. Now that I’ve been re-listening to his early discography more properly as of late, I’ve found so, so many more hidden gems.
The guy sounds like a Japanese Rick Astley on this track. Man, what a song! Listen to what that goddamn synth bass is doing during the chorus (0:53-). Listen to it! Sheesh!
Isis
“Ain’t No Backin’ Up Now”
1975 | FUNK
Some pretty hard-hitting stuff right here. This group put out three albums in the 70s, and this one—their second—strikes me as the highlight.
I should mention that while this is essentially a “girl band,” you’d better watch out because their sound has more balls than the average guy. “Ain’t no backin’ up now, motherfucker.”
Carita Holmström
“Näät vain silmin”
1973 | FOLK
This is such a neat little album. It’s a mix of acoustic folk-pop, singer-songwriter type stuff, and more progressive jazzy pop. This particular song has more of that moody jazz thing going on.
Definitely a hidden gem. You should thank me for introducing this to you—I could’ve just as well have kept it a secret. Kept it all to myself. Yet here I am, sharing it with you. Out of the kindness of my heart.
Mark Lettieri
“Pulsar”
2021 | JAZZ FUSION
You might recognize this guy from Snarky Puppy or The Fearless Fliers.
This is some very cool jazz-fusion-funk type stuff, and for me it always remains tasteful enough so as to not cross that threshold into guitar wankery. It helps how the baritone guitar is such a manly-sounding instrument. You’ll probably put on some chest hair listening to these riffs.
Billie Holiday
“You Go to My Head”
1938 | VOCAL JAZZ
Now here’s a song to listen to alone on a gloomy Saturday evening with a glass of whisky in hand. What more do you need?
You go to my head
With a smile that makes my temperature rise
Like a summer with a thousand Julys
You intoxicate my soul with your eyes
If you like this one, you’d do well to check out her album Solitude.
Iwasaki Hiromi
“Conversation”
1978 | POP
Iwasaki Hiromi is an amazing artist, and I’m especially fond of all the stuff she did in the 70s and 80s with legendary songwriter Tsutsumi Kyohei.
This song, too, makes for perfect quiet Saturday night listening.
Leon Russell
“Tight Rope”
1972 | PIANO ROCK
The fuckin’ voice on this man! Leon Russell is kind of like Elton John for tough guys who don’t want to admit they like Elton John—they’re afraid their friends might call them gay.
All kidding aside, I do think this is fantastic stuff. And I’m not even a tough guy.
JaR
“GPS”
2008 | AOR
There’s a really good chance that anything Jay Graydon is involved with is going to be gold, and this album is no exception.
Back in 2008, Jay and Randy Goodrum came together to create this album which I’m not sure what I would compare it to. It sounds a little bit like Steely Dan, but not really. It’s great stuff all the same. Full of good tracks, and it sounds very “homemade” in a good way—even the occasional cheesiness isn’t offensive because there’s so much heart in it.
Steely Dan
“The Second Arrangement”
1980 | AOR
And speaking of Steely Dan… Although I do like the Dan as much as the next guy, I’m by no means an expert and I only just heard this song for the first time a couple of months back. There’s an interesting story behind it—the recording was previously thought to have been lost forever. But if you’re too lazy to read the article, don’t worry: the song speaks for itself.
For me, this track really is up there as some of this band’s finest material. And that’s actually saying something with a band like Steely Dan.
El DeBarge
“Someone”
1986 | CONTEMPORARY R&B
Incredible voice on this guy, and the Stevie Wonder-esque chord changes are just delicious. What’s there not to love? And surprise, surprise: this, too, has that magic Jay Graydon touch.
Someone just like me
Runnin’ into someone just like you
An accidental touch
Turned into a gentle kiss or two
(By the way, this YouTube channel is absolutely full of hidden treasures. I challenge you to click randomly on any one of the songs this guy uploads, and there’s a good chance it’s going to be some minor gem you’d never even heard of.)
Junior Wells
“Good Morning Schoolgirl”
1965 | BLUES
I’m generally not a fan of electric guitar blues, but Junior Wells’ Hoodoo Man Blues is just so full of passion and this undiluted “fuck you” energy, I can’t help but like it.
Highly, highly recommended album. “Snatch It Back and Hold It,” “Chitlins Con Carne,” “Yonder Wall“… So many good tracks.
Saratoga
“Rainy Town Light”
1980 | CITY POP
These guys released exactly one album. They got it right the first time. You must listen to this song and especially the ecstasy of the chorus (1:38-). The vocalist sings his absolute heart out!
Oh, and if you don’t speak Japanese, I can reveal to you that the lyrics of this song discuss the feeling of emptiness one experiences when one drinks alone.
Mica Paris
“I Never Felt Like This Before”
1993 | POP
Now, this artist is someone I discovered a while ago when I was hooked on Whitney Houston‘s early material and was trying to look for something in that vein. I can not accurately describe to you how good this song sounds to my ears, especially when slightly inebriated.
Fuck me, what a song!
Shaun Cassidy
“Midnight Sun”
1978 | POP
The newest of these new discoveries—I only first heard this one a week ago or so.
This sort of reminds me of Andy Gibb: a cool young dude with his golden flowing locks, singing smooth bubblegum pop that all the teenage girls were listening to with hearts in their eyes in the late 70s. And now me, too. Now I’m this guy’s target audience.
Lastly, here’s something a bit different. Something a little out of left field.
I was recently talking with friends about music, and more specifically about the sounds that tickle your brain because they’re new to you; music that just sounds stimulating because it’s unlike anything you’ve ever listened to before. Stuff that’s out of your comfort zone.
For me, these three artists represent exactly that.
Hinata Toshifumi
“Sarah’s Crime”
1985 | NEW AGE
Cheap-sounding neoclassical new age ambient weirdness that I couldn’t possibly have thought of listening to—let alone enjoying—even five years ago. Five years ago, I would’ve had to seriously reconsider my friendship with anyone recommending this to me.
And yet, oddly enough, several of this guy’s CD’s are now sitting on my shelf. I wholeheartedly recommend that you check out his entire discography. And reconsider your friendship with me.
Hikashu
“20seiki no Owari ni”
1979 | NEW WAVE
I’ve never been a fan of punk music. I’m still not a fan now. And seeing as Hikashu are sort of punk-adjacent, in theory I shouldn’t enjoy their music. In principle, I really shouldn’t. I mean, to me these guys literally sound like they’re trying to make music that sounds like shit. “Oh, you want ‘good music’? Sorry, say again? ‘Something like Strawberry Fields or Bohemian Rhapsody’? Oh okay. Well, fuck you and your pretentious garbage!”
There’s the drum machine that sounds like dog shit, inane shouting into the microphone, irritating sound effects… This band isn’t even trying to sound cool.
And yet, somehow… It all just works. I absolutely love it.
Philip Glass
“Floe”
1982 | CLASSICAL
I first heard this album a couple of months ago when I put it on as just something to listen to in the background. But as it began to play, I genuinely had to stop what I was doing, restart the song, and listen to it again while giving it my full attention. Eyes wide, mouth ajar, goosebumps—you get the picture.
It’s so goddamn hypnotic and repetitive, I really don’t even know what else I might compare it to expect maybe some space rock stuff. But when I’m in the right mindset for this music, there’s nothing else I’d rather listen to. And times like that, it sounds downright transcendental.
P.S. When you listen to this one, it needs to be loud.
That’s all for now.
Cheers!
